Sharmoofers is a project and its members are Ahmed Bahaa, & Moe El-3rkan. We believe that music IS the way to happiness. All music production and vocal lines are played and sang by the Sharmoofers.

Iraqi-American trumpeter, santour player, vocalist, and composer Amir ElSaffar is on the forefront of a wave of musicians who are incorporating the traditional musical styles of their cultural backgrounds with modern sensibilities, blurring the lines and conventions that differentiate styles, toward a music that resonates human. Whether playing trumpet in a jazz context, or singing and playing santour in an Iraqi setting, ElSaffar brings a depth of emotion and authenticity to his music that has spoken to musicians and audiences globally.Growing up in River Forest, IL, a suburb west of Chicago, ElSaffar was first exposed to by his father to the recordings of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, and to music from the Blues Brothers Soundtrack. He received his first musical training singing in the Church Choir at the Lutheran school he attended, and his mother taught him to sing and play American folk songs on ukulele and guitar when he was nine. He eventually found his calling with the trumpet. While pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in trumpet from DePaul University, ElSaffar was performing throughout the Chicago area with jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, and salsa groups, in additionto being a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for two years, wherein he worked with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, and Mstislav Rostropovich.